Scotland and Marlboro County are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2016, but not for long. The Scotland Fighting Scots will take on the Marlboro County Bulldogs in a holiday battle at at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Scotland has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while Marlboro County will arrive with six straight victories.
Last Friday, Scotland lost to Union Pines on the road by a 72-56 margin.
Scotland might have lost, but man, Dajuan Gibson was a machine: he went 7 of 13 on his way to 17 points and six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Shylan Harrell, who posted ten points and six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Scotland smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 23 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Tuesday Marlboro County sidestepped Hartsville for a 60-57 win.
Scotland better keep an eye on Justin Purvis. He was instrumental in Marlboro County's win, putting up ten points and five steals. Isaiah Johnson was another key player, posting 12 points.
Marlboro County pushed their record up to 6-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.7 points per game. As for Scotland, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Scotland has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 44 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Marlboro County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 25.8 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Scotland might still be hurting after the 56-35 loss they got from Marlboro County in their previous meeting back in December of 2023. Can Scotland avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
